Poland is ready to receive US troops as Trump withdraws from Germany, says President Nawrocki
Poland's President Karol Nawrocki has said his country is ready to host US troops that may be withdrawn from Germany, saying he will speak personally with US President Donald Trump to support the possibility.
The President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki/PHOTO:X
The statements were made during NATO exercises in Lithuania, as the Pentagon considers reducing the US military presence in Germany by about 5,000 troops over the next year. Trump has previously suggested the troop drawdown could be even more extensive.
“If President Donald Trump decides to reduce the American military presence in Germany, then we in Poland are ready to receive American soldiers,” Nawrocki said. He added that Poland already has the necessary infrastructure for the relocation of troops.
The Polish president's position contrasts with that recently expressed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. He warned that Poland should not “draw” US troops from European allies, although he said Warsaw would take any opportunity to strengthen the US military presence on its territory. However, Tusk insisted that he did not want Poland to contribute to the weakening of European unity.
The prime minister's comments provoked critical reactions from the opposition Law and Justice party, the political formation from which Nawrocki also comes. Party representatives accused Tusk of putting the relationship with Berlin ahead of Poland's security interests.
Meanwhile, talks between Warsaw and Washington on expanding the US military presence are already underway, both diplomatically and militarily, according to Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki. The official said the Polish government is not opposed to the possibility of troops relocated from Germany reaching Poland, although Warsaw does not support their withdrawal from Germany.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told a security conference in Warsaw that any additional US troops “will be welcomed in Poland”, regardless of which country the troops are being relocated from.
Poland currently hosts about 10,000 US troops, while Germany has about 36,000 US troops stationed on its soil.
